Information processing apparatus, vehicle, information processing method, running control method, and map updating method

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising: a communication circuit configured to communicate with a vehicle; a processor; and a non-transitory recording medium storing thereon (i) a map divided into a plurality of areas, the map showing: a road, and a road shape that is a shape of an area around the road, and (ii) a computer program, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations including: acquiring, via one or more sensors of the vehicle, sensing data indicating a road shape of the area around the road on which the vehicle runs; determining whether the vehicle is in an autonomous mode; determining, for each of the plurality of areas, whether it is necessary to update the map for navigating in each of the plurality of areas, wherein the determining of whether it is necessary to update the map for navigating is based on: a score based on S = α ⁢ ∑ i ⁢ c i P ⁢ T + ∑ j ⁢ ⁢ β j ⁢ p j formula, wherein S denotes the score, c i denotes an amount of change in past update score, P denotes a predetermined period of time preceding a last update time, T denotes time elapsed since the last update time up to a current time, p j denotes a number of occurrences of various events, and α and β j denote coefficients, a number of a plurality of interventions performed that disrupt planned autonomous driving operations while the vehicle is in the autonomous mode, and at least one of an amount of change, in each of the plurality of areas, from the road shape shown by the stored map to the road shape acquired by the vehicle, and a number of occurrences of a predetermined action of a vehicle having run through in each of the plurality of areas; updating the map for at least one area among the plurality of areas when it is determined that it is necessary to update the map; and transmitting, via the communication circuit and to the vehicle, the updated map, wherein the occurrences include a driver intervention operation of the vehicle and an autonomous operation performed by the vehicle.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the operations further include: determining available vehicles that are traveling or are planning to travel in an identified area of the map; selecting at least one detecting vehicle that detects the road shape from among one or more of the available vehicles that are traveling or planning to travel in the identified area where it has been determined that the map needs to be updated; and transmitting, via the communication circuit, a detection request that causes the selected detecting vehicle to obtain sensing data for detecting the road shape of the identified area for updating the map, to the selected detecting vehicle via a communication network.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the vehicle is a vehicle configured to perform automatic driving, and the predetermined action is at least one of (i) sudden deceleration, (ii) sudden acceleration, (iii) manual driving interruption during the automatic driving, and (iv) quick avoidance, that have occurred during a predetermined period of time up to the current time.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the selecting includes selecting, as the detecting vehicle, a vehicle whose vehicle height is not lower than a predetermined height.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the selecting includes selecting, as the detecting vehicle, a vehicle having a sensor configured to detect the road shape and whose detection accuracy is not lower than a predetermined degree of accuracy.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the selecting includes selecting, as the detecting vehicle, a vehicle that has ever run in a detection mode in which to detect the road shape in order to update the map.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determining includes: computing a score for each of the plurality of areas using at least one of (i) the amount of change and (ii) the number of occurrences; and determining that it is necessary to update the map of one of the plurality of areas whose computed score exceeds a predetermined score.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determining includes: increasing a predetermined score of one of the plurality of areas where the number of times it has been determined per unit period that updating is needed is not smaller than a first number of times; and decreasing the predetermined score of that one of the plurality of areas where the number of times it has been determined per unit period that updating is needed is smaller than a second number of times that is not larger than the first number of times.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor determines that it is necessary to update the map if the number of the plurality of interventions performed that disrupt planned autonomous driving operations is greater than a predetermined threshold.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determining of whether updating of the map is necessary for a particular area is based on the number of the plurality of interventions performed that disrupt planned autonomous driving operations by a plurality of cars that passes through the particular area.

11. A map updating system comprising: a vehicle; and an information processing apparatus, wherein the vehicle comprises: one or more sensors; a processor; and a memory storing thereon a computer program, which when executed by the processor of the vehicle, causes the processor of the vehicle to perform operations including: acquiring, via the one or more sensors of the vehicle, sensing data indicating a road shape of an area around a road on which the vehicle runs; determining whether the vehicle is an autonomous mode; detecting (i) the road on which the vehicle runs, and (ii) the road shape that is a shape of the area around the road based on the acquired sensing data; receiving a detection request to detect the road shape from the information processing apparatus via a communication network; upon receiving the detection request, determining whether a running mode of the vehicle is switched from a normal mode in which to perform normal running to a detection mode in which to, in order to update a map for navigating, perform running that detects the road shape of the road on which the vehicle is running; in a case where it is determined that the running mode is switched to the detection mode, switching the running mode to the detection mode and controlling the vehicle to run in the detection mode; and in a case where it is determined that the running mode is not switched, keeping the running mode in the normal mode and controlling the vehicle to run in the normal mode, wherein the information processing apparatus comprises: a communication circuit configured to communicate with the vehicle; a processor; and a non-transitory recording medium storing thereon (i) the map for navigating, the map being divided into a plurality of areas, the map showing: a road, and a road shape that is a shape of an area around the road, and (ii) a computer program, which when executed by the processor of the information processing apparatus, causes the processor of the information processing apparatus to perform operations including: determining, for each of the plurality of areas, whether it is necessary to update the map for navigating in each of the plurality of areas, wherein the determining of whether it is necessary to update the map for navigating is based on: a score based on S = α ⁢ ∑ i ⁢ c i P ⁢ T + ∑ j ⁢ ⁢ β j ⁢ p j formula, wherein S denotes the score, c i denotes an amount of change in past update score, P denotes a predetermined period of time preceding a last update time, T denotes time elapsed since the last update time up to a current time, p j denotes a number of occurrences of various events, and α and β j denote coefficients, a number of a plurality of interventions performed that disrupt planned autonomous driving operations while the vehicle is in the autonomous mode, and at least one of an amount of change, in each of the plurality of areas, from the road shape shown by the stored map to the road shape acquired by the vehicle, and a number of occurrences of a predetermined action of a vehicle having run through in each of the plurality of areas; updating the map for at least one area among the plurality of areas when it is determined that it is necessary to update the map; and transmitting, via the communication circuit and to the vehicle, the updated map, wherein the occurrences include a driver intervention operation of the vehicle and an autonomous operation performed by the vehicle.

12. The map updating system according to claim 11 , the operation further comprising: transmitting detection data indicating the detected road shape to the information processing apparatus via the communication network.

13. The map updating system according to claim 11 , wherein the detection mode is a running mode in which to run in a state of change in at least one of (i) settings of making a maximum running speed lower, (ii) making a maximum running acceleration lower, (iii) making an intervehicular distance larger, and (iv) making a detection frequency higher than in the normal mode.

14. The map updating system according to claim 13 , wherein the operations further include: detecting a following vehicle which is within a certain distance from the vehicle; and in a case where the running mode is switched to the detection mode and the following vehicle is detected, controlling the vehicle to run in the normal mode.

15. The map updating system according to claim 13 , wherein the operations further include: detecting a congestion in an area around the vehicle; and in a case where the running mode is switched to the detection mode and the congestion is detected, controlling the vehicle to run in the normal mode.

16. The map updating system according to claim 11 , wherein the operations further include receiving an input indicating whether to give approval to switch the running mode from the normal mode to the detection mode, and the determining includes, in a case where the input indicates approval, determining that the running mode is switched and, in a case where the input indicates disapproval, determining that the running mode is not switched.

17. The map updating system according to claim 11 , wherein the vehicle is a vehicle that carries a passenger, and the determining includes, in a case where the vehicle is not on its way to pick up the passenger and the vehicle is not carrying the passenger, determining that the running mode is switched and, in a case where the vehicle is on its way to pick up the passenger or the vehicle is carrying the passenger, determining that the running mode is not switched.

18. An information processing method, comprising: storing, in a memory, a map divided into a plurality of areas, the map showing (i) a road, and (ii) a road shape that is a shape of an area around the road; acquiring, via one or more sensors of a vehicle, sensing data indicating a road shape of the area around the road on which the vehicle runs; determining whether the vehicle is in an autonomous mode; determining, by a processor for each of the plurality of areas, whether it is necessary to update the map for navigating in each of the plurality of areas, wherein the determining of whether it is necessary to update the map for navigating is based on; a score based on S = α ⁢ ∑ i ⁢ c i P ⁢ T + ∑ j ⁢ ⁢ β j ⁢ p j formula, wherein S denotes the score, c i denotes an amount of change in past update score, P denotes a predetermined period of time preceding a last update time, T denotes time elapsed since the last update time up to a current time, p j denotes a number of occurrences of various events, and α and β j denote coefficients, a number of a plurality of interventions performed that disrupt planned autonomous driving operations while the vehicle is in the autonomous mode, and at least one of an amount of change from the road shape shown by the stored map to the road shape acquired by the vehicle in each of the plurality of areas, and a number of occurrences of a predetermined action of a vehicle having run through in each of the plurality of areas; and updating the map for at least one area among the plurality of areas when it is determined that it is necessary to update the map; and transmitting, via a communication network and to the vehicle, the updated map, wherein the occurrences include a driver intervention operation of the vehicle and an autonomous operation performed by the vehicle.

19. A map updating method comprising updating a map in a map updating system including: an information processing apparatus for storing, in a memory, a map divided into a plurality of areas, the map showing (i) a road, and (ii) a road shape that is a shape of an area around the road, and distributing, to one or more vehicles, the stored map, and the one or more vehicles, wherein the information processing apparatus performs operations including: determining whether the vehicle is in an autonomous mode; determining, for each of the plurality of areas, whether it is necessary to update the map for navigating of that area, wherein the determining of whether it is necessary to update the map for navigating is based on: a score based on S = α ⁢ ∑ i ⁢ c i P ⁢ T + ∑ j ⁢ ⁢ β j ⁢ p j formula, wherein S denotes the score, c i denotes an amount of change in past update score, P denotes a predetermined period of time preceding a last update time, T denotes time elapsed since the last update time up to a current time, p j denotes a number of occurrences of various events, and α and β j denote coefficients, a number of a plurality of interventions performed that disrupt planned autonomous driving operations while the vehicle is in the autonomous mode, and at least either an amount of change from the road shape shown by the stored map to the road shape detected by a vehicle using one or more sensors, and a number of occurrences of a predetermined action of the vehicle having run through that area, wherein the occurrences include a driver intervention operation of the vehicle and an autonomous operation performed by the vehicle independent of a driver of the vehicle; selecting, from among one or more vehicles that are running or planning to run in an area where it has been determined that the map needs to be updated, a detection vehicle that detects the road shape; and transmitting, via a communication network to the detecting vehicle thus selected, a detection request that causes the detecting vehicle to detect the road shape of the area, and the detecting vehicle performs operations including: receiving the detection request via the communication network from an external information apparatus; determining whether a running mode of the detecting vehicle is switched from a normal mode in which to perform normal running to a detection mode in which to, in order to update the map, perform running that detects the road shape of a road on which the detecting vehicle is running; in a case where it has been determined that switching to the detection mode is made, switching the running mode to the detection mode and controlling the detecting vehicle to run in the detection mode; and in a case where it has been determined that switching to the detection mode is not made, keeping the running mode in the detection mode and controlling the detecting vehicle to run in the normal mode.